The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-11-30
A CRAZY ENGINEER.
Thrilling Story OF the Lake Shore
Railroad.
A Midnight Ride With Mad Engineer
Experience of Old Bob Whit
taker, Veteran Central
Engineer.

THAT was mighty exciting story
in the Evening Sun the other day
about Engineer Bots worth, who went
mad in his locomotive cab on the
Wabash road out in Iowa, and, after
nearly wrecking the train, tried to
jump from the window" said old Bob
Whitaker, veteran engineer on the
New York Central yesterday. ''but it
wasn't circumstance to the expert
ence once had with q crazy man at
the throttle"
Whitaker was urged to tell his
story, and proceeded in the deliberate
style of old-fashionel story-tellers:
Forty years on the foot board are
not apt to pass without some thrilling
episodes" he began, land I've had
my share; but nothing ever made my
cap rise off my head and my heart sink
clear into my boots as did the event Z nj
going to tell you about. It happened
a dozen years or so ago. l was rum
ming on the Lake Shore road then,
from Cleveland to Chicago. I'd lost
my job as engineer, so I shipped as
fireman. The engineer was strong,
wiry man, considerably larger than
myself, named Ziel Franklin. He was
called one of the best engineers of the
West but was trifle eccentric. l
had been running as fireman with Ziel
for several months, when we started
one night to take the fast mail from
Cleveland to Chicago
ut was drizzling, gloomy night,
very much like what we've been hav-
ing in New York for q week, and dark
er than ton of Lackawanna coal. We
had No. 313, the biggest and newest
machine on the road, and terror for
speed. Our regular engine, No. 1872,
had been stabbed for repairs. Pm not
naturally superstitious, like most rail
readers, but the weather had made me
kind o blue, s'pose, or my supper
didn't set quite right, and as we pulled
out OF the Cleveland station at 1915
p. m. l couldn't help thinking about
that thirteen in the engines number
Besides, twas early spring, the ground
was soft from the rain, and the going
was very dangerous. Ziel seemed to
be depressed by the weather or some
thing else, just as was. We logged
on and on into the inky darkness at
steady pace of forty-fve miles an hour.
The heavy train of four mail and ex-
press cars, two day coaches and three
sleepers rumbled monotonously behind
us. Neither Of us had spoken for an
hour Ziel was watching the track as
II he expected tito fly up and run away.
was conjuring up more blue devils
over the nasty night and the presence
OF that unlucy thirteen in the engines
numbr.
Suddenly. just as I was wondering
Tor tho odd hundredth time whether
there was any thing In luck signs, any
way, Eel jumped from his box and
threw open the furnace door. He
stood motionless for fully minute,
glaring into the fire.
"Oho! that's the way of it, eh?' he
Ct cried at last, turning sharply to me.
Inc flood of light from the red-hot
Goals poured full on his face. The
features were horribly distorted, and
MS eyes bulged from their sockets.
That's the way of it, ehP' he repeat
ed' glowering fiercely at me.
81 guess so, Zel.' said l, not know
ing what else to say, and trying to
force laugh. l had decided that he
was drunk.
"Oho! that's it, eh9' he roared
again. 1t is, ehP Ohio! l thought so.
well, make up the fire them
i was too astonished to stir for an
instant as the fire needed no making
ap' He noted my hesitation.
Make up that fire! he yelled
Heap her up and be quick about it,
dye hear?'
without word I threw in several
shovels OF coal. Almost instantly the
"eam gauge began to,run up. Ziel
noted it complacently. He peered out
N0ng the tracks again In Grim silence.